27 October 2023
The Basque Competitiveness Institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with Harvard University's Growth Lab, one of the world's most respected and influential research centres on international development and economic growth
The signing of the agreement took place in Bilbao after a working meeting in which the director of the lab, the renowned economist Ricardo Hausmann, was able to learn about Orkestra's main lines of research
Both institutions consider that collaboration is crucial to extract the best practices at international level and share learning in areas such as regional development
Orkestra shares its research in territorial competitiveness and policies with a wide network of universities, organizations and international institutions, learning from other international experiences and contributing to the positioning of the Basque Country as a benchmark in competitiveness and wellbeing.
In line with this commitment, the Institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Growth Lab, one of the research laboratories at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Growth Lab is one of the world's most respected and influential research centres on international development and economic growth. Since its launch in 2006, it has conducted more than 50 research initiatives in nearly 30 countries, defining policies, strategies and agendas at national, regional and local levels.
The signing of the memorandum took place today in Bilbao and was attended by the director of the Growth Lab, Ricardo Hausmann. In addition to directing the centre, Hausmann is a professor at Harvard University and has just received the 2023 Economics Award from the European Union's Joint Research Center (JRC) for his "pioneering and outstanding scientific contributions to economic complexity".
Ricardo Hausmann and Iván Martén Uliarte, president of Orkestra
The signing was followed by a meeting in which Professor Hausmann was able to learn about Orkestra's main lines of research from the institute's research staff.
Orkestra's general director, Mari Jose Aranguren, has pointed out that both the Growth Lab and Orkestra share the mission of generating knowledge by tackling real-world challenges and developing research to help decision-making: "One of the most important challenges we face in the Basque Country is the transformation of many industrial activities as a result of the environmental challenge. In this sense, one of the key questions we have to answer is what new activities we can evolve towards, taking into account the industrial, technological and human capacities we have. The Growth Lab's international experience in this area and Orkestra's knowledge of the Basque Country's competitiveness can be a good alliance for tackling this question".
Through this agreement, Orkestra and the Growth Lab will collaborate in defining a research agenda and will share knowledge and experience in areas such as regional development, analysis of the sophistication of the economy and the challenges posed by major transitions.
